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teens to be communal connec-
tors and provide more touch-
points for connection.
“Through their friendships
and relationships, teens can
find their place in the local
Jewish community,” Vieder
says.
The selected fellows, along
with Federation’s shinshin-
im (Israeli emissaries), will
receive extensive training from
Michigan State Hillel during
the yearlong fellowship.
SUPPORT FOR PARENTS
Though teens are the focus of
JCC’s new teen engagement
model, a special focus is being
given to their parents as well.
“We’ve heard from a lot of par-
ents of tweens and teens that
they don’t have the support
or educational resources they
had when their children were
younger,” Vieder explains.
To build the foundation for
parental support, particularly
for parents of teens, the JCC
will launch “PhD in Parenting,”
a course being run in com-
munities across the country.
Using proven parent education
methodologies, this program
will enhance parent-teen rela-
tionships, improve parenting
skills, teach techniques on how
to reduce stress on teenagers,
and enable parents to create a
healthy, peaceful and respect-
ful home environment.
Two cohorts of “PhD in
Parenting” will be offered
starting in October with addi-
tional cohorts in the spring.
Registration will open on JLive
this month.
HELPING WITH STAFF
Throughout the multi-faceted
approach, the JCC aims to
support congregations and
youth-serving organizations so
that they can strengthen rela-
tionships with tweens, teens
and their families, and provide
meaningful opportunities. The
most critical need is staff, and
funding is a challenge.
“Our organizations need
staff who can focus directly
on tweens and teens, and
who have the capacity for
relationship-building,” Vieder
explains. Many congregations,
she says, have limited support
when it comes to teen engage-
ment. A three-year grant from
the Hermelin-Davidson Center
for Congregation Excellence,
though, will provide the fund-
ing to increase that support —
and ideally, teen engagement.
A second grant from
the Stephen H. Schulman
Millennium Fund for Jewish
“WE WILL HAVE
THE RESOURCES
TO REACH MORE
TEENS AND
CONNECT THEM
TO MEANINGFUL
AND IMPACTFUL
JEWISH
EXPERIENCES.”
— BBYO’S RACHEL ELLIS
TOP: Teens hand out Purim bags at Temple Shir Shalom. LEFT: Jake Witus, Hannah Tilds, Rachel Nakisher, Arthur, an exchange student from
France, and Maya Contorer at Temple Shir Shalom. RIGHT: Temple Israel teens Charlie Weiner, Mia Hirsch, Zach Simon, Emma Dwoskin, Arielle
Bauer, Miles Hirsch and Natalie Cooper.
Dinner’s
On Us!
MONDAY, AUGUST 23
4 – 6 PM
Stop by our Welcome Center Open House to
check out our brand-new Virtual Tour and Vision
Boards! As a thank you for taking the time to
get a sneak peek, you’ll leave with dinner for
two - delicious lasagna, salad and tiramisu.
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WELCOME CENTER:
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30637 W. 14 Mile Rd. / Farmington Hills, MI
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RSVP TODAY! 248-382-8766
ANTHOLOGY OF
FARMINGTON HILLS
CONTINUE YOUR LIFE STORY WITH US
continued from page 16
OUR COMMUNITY